1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a foldable box which can be folded to a compact size.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional foldable box, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. Sho 62-110132, comprises a square tray-like bottom panel, a picture frame-like upper frame formed in substantially the same size as the bottom panel, two swing side panels rotatably pivoted on two opposite sides of the upper frame, and a folding side panel which can be bent into a sidelong V-shaped form and pivotally mounted at the upper and lower ends to the upper frame and the bottom panel. The swing side panels are raised to thereby support the folding side panel upright. When the swing side panels are turned inwardly to a horizontal position, the folding side panel is folded inside the box, so that the box can be folded flat.
Such a foldable box described above is in most cases an injection-molded product of synthetic resin.
The prior art foldable box, however, has the following problems.
Firstly, since a mold for injection molding of synthetic resin is expensive and accordingly the unit price of the box becomes high, and moreover, since there must be prepared as many molds as the number of sizes required, the injection molding is unsuitable for producing many kinds of boxes in small quantities. It is, therefore, impossible to meet every detail of a customer's need.
Secondly, since the box itself becomes very heavy, a wastefully high transportation cost and much burden in loading and unloading work will be required.